A Moment in Time
by skiingclimber
Summary: My take on the first time Sutton and Ethan meet.  One-shot


If there were a moment where everything changed for her it would have to be the moment she saw him. As he pulled up behind her that night she got her flat tire, she reveled in his bad boy appeal. As they fought over who would change the tire she wondered if she should be interested in him. He sure didn't fit her mother's picture of whom she should be dating. He'd been to juvie. He wasn't rich. He wasn't Luke, and yet she was incredibly turned on as he pulled the tire out of her trunk. Maybe that's what she needed. She needed a little rebellion, secret rebellion, but rebellion nonetheless. Maybe she needed to even for just one night get away from everything that was expected of her. Maybe she just needed to be herself.

After nearly destroying the rim of her tire and letting him finish it, she was positive she needed a little surprise in her life. She needed a little thrill. He stepped away from her car, "Cool bike," she noted as he pushed the tire into place.

"Thanks," he responded, not bothering to look up as he started screwing on the lug nuts."

"Ever let anyone ride it?"

"Why? Looking for some adventure?" He said stepping away from the car.

"More like an escape," she admitted.

He walked over to his bike and pulled the helmet off the seat. He tossed it to her, "I know exactly what you need."

As the wind brushed past his face and the motorcycle raced up Route 18, he became increasingly aware of her body moving closer and closer to his. Was she actually interested in him, or was she just scared? He hoped it was the former, and didn't think it was the latter. She didn't strike him as the girl that would even get scared, let alone pull herself closer to a stranger when she was. He slowed the bike as he went around the final bend before finally stopping it at the overlook. He waited for her to climb off before he himself did. As she pulled off the helmet, he could see the awe in her eyes.

"It's incredible," she stated.

"I love coming up here to just clear my head," he admitted, "especially when the moon rises. It always takes my breath away."

"I bet," she responded, "Sometimes I wish everything could be this simple, this peaceful."

"Your life cannot be that difficult. You drive a BMW convertible. You live in a huge house. You're one of the most popular girls in school. What is so screwed up about you?"

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," she admitted.

"Want to talk about it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Have you ever felt like you don't belong, like no matter how hard you try to fit in you never will?"

"I've been to juvie," he retorted, "I live in a trailer and go to a school where most people's cars cost more than my home. Of course I've felt that way, but since when does the most popular girl in school have trouble fitting in?"

"I'm adopted," she retorted, "Do you know how easy it is to twist that into something bad? Do you know how easy it is for people to unintentionally remind you that you were abandoned?"

"You never seemed to have any issues with it before. You strut around school like you own the place and you're only a sophomore. Why do you care now?"

"Why do you care about me? You don't even know me."

"Maybe I'm just being nice," he stated, "Maybe you looked like you wanted to talk and I'm offering to listen. Why are you so afraid to open up to people?

"I don't even know you. Why should I delve my deepest, darkest secrets to a guy I barely know?"

"Get to know me then," he stated, "Ask me anything you want to know."

"The only way you'll get me to do that is if you ask me out first."

"Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"It's not like I love him or anything. I'm only dating him because my mom likes him and he's whom I should date."

"So break up with him."

"It would look weird," she admitted, "We're supposed to be the perfect couple. If I broke up with him, I would have to answer all of these questions that I don't have answers for."

"If I take you out on a date, what's in it for me? What do I get out of this?"

She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. At first he resisted, but then he gave in. He kissed her back, allowing their mouths to mold to each other's. When she pulled away he could still feel a lingering shock on his lips. His eyes fell on her perfect pink lips. She bit it, nervously, and smiled a flirty smile, "We should probably be getting back now," she noted.

The entire ride down she'd been thinking about that kiss. It had been an act of rebellion that had turned into something more. He was cute and there had been more sparks in that one kiss than she'd ever felt with Luke. The whole date thing had been to get him to stop asking questions, but she'd come to like the idea of a secret boyfriend.

He slowed the bike to a stop right next to her BMW and let her hop off. Before he could drive away she made one last attempt at making this work, "Thanks for fixing my tire and taking me up to that overlook. I really needed that escape."

"Were you serious about that date?"

"Ask me out and you'll find out."

"Sutton Mercer," he started, "will you go out with me?"

"Yes," she responded.

She kissed him again and immediately felt the same sparks as before. She really wanted to date him, to have something that was just hers and only hers. She didn't know if it would go anywhere or what would happen after the first date, but she felt like it would be fun to find out. Ethan was hot, he was dangerous, and he wanted to hear about her problems. She'd never realized it before, but there was more to Ethan than she originally thought.

She pushed away from him and got in her car without another word. She had just spent the most wonderful night with a boy she barely knew. She turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the scene. As she continued to drive home her mind drifted to the two most passionate kisses she'd ever experienced. There was more to him than originally thought, that was all she really knew, and she wanted to find out everything.


End file.
